Why your ham & cheese pizza might not contain ham OR cheese

Two thirds of takeaway ham and cheese pizzas failed to contain ham or cheese, a probe by trading standards officers revealed.

Between January and March this year, Derbyshire County Council’s trading standards team visited 15 takeaways across the county and took away samples of pizzas containing ham and cheese for testing.

As well as checking the cheese and ham for substitution, officers also analysed salt levels.

Of the samples tested:

• Eight were found to contain a mixture of cheese and cheese substitute instead of 100 per cent cheese

• Five contained turkey ham in place of ham

• One pizza contained salt higher than the recommended amount

The council said it cannot name the takeaways.

Officers are also investigating a supplier who misled a business by claiming they were selling real cheese when further tests revealed it was a mixture of cheese and cheese substitute.

The authority is now issuing reminders to Derbyshire businesses warning them that they could face prosecution if they do not describe food correctly or properly label it for sale.

Following strict new European food regulations, the council’s trading standards team has seen a rise in the number of businesses seeking advice – soaring from 93 enquiries in 2013/14 to 155 over the past year.

Consumers with concerns about falsely described food can contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 040506.